


You Are

by bacta_junkie



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Character Study, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-26
Updated: 2017-12-26
Packaged: 2019-02-22 05:14:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 556
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13160010
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bacta_junkie/pseuds/bacta_junkie
Summary: You are Marinette Dupain-Cheng. You are also Ladybug. You are unstoppable. You are also small and fragile. And alive.





	You Are

You are Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

You are a baker’s daughter. You are young, and clumsy, and brave, and clever.

You are also Ladybug. You are Ladybug. You are unstoppable. You are a force of nature- the force of Creation, of Luck, of Goodness itself. You are Ladybug.

But you are also Marinette Dupain-Cheng. You are small, and fragile. And alive.

 

* * *

 

When you first become Ladybug, you are at once empowered and afraid. You feel, for the first time, like you can become something greater than what you have been given, greater than what you were meant for- and at the same time, you feel terrified, with the weight of the whole city of Paris on your shoulders. Like the responsibility of their safety rests on you alone.

But then you meet Chat Noir, and you become privy to two wholly unbreakable truths:

First, that you can do this. That of everyone in the city of Paris, _you_ alone were chosen for a reason, and whatever that reason is, you are worthy of this mantle, and you  can shoulder this burden.

And second, that you will never, ever have to do it alone.

 

* * *

 

You are Marinette Dupain-Cheng, and you are so very, very in love.

When you first meet Adrien Agreste, you are underwhelmed. He is not special. He is another brat. (You are, of course, mistaken.)

He shows you a hint of hidden depths; a kindness that exists, perhaps despite the abuse, or perhaps because of it. He shows you that he is someone incredible, someone to be trusted, someone kind and gentle and brave and, and, and.

He shows you this, all of this, with a single, simple gesture, and you are so very, very in love.

 

* * *

 

The first time you nearly lose your Chat Noir, you are undone with fear and worry. It is as though all at once, the possibility of being alone strikes you. It is as though you had used Chat Noir as your pillar, as the boat upon which you stood, unafraid of the ocean, unafraid of sinking or drowning. But Chat Noir is nobody’s crutch; he belongs to himself, and he has chosen to exchange his life for yours.

You are Ladybug, and you are afraid. You are Ladybug, and you are, all of a sudden, in love.

 

* * *

 

When you tell Chat Noir who you are, you have no expectations. You are Ladybug, yes, but you are also Marinette Dupain-Cheng, and neither of these women, thankfully, are demure. You are strong and proud on either side of the mask, and when you decide it is time for him to know- regardless of what Tikki tells you- you look your partner in the eye and say “I’m going to tell you who I am”, and he is at once both speechless and stuttering. Before you lose your nerve- as if you could ever- you drop your transformation, and you are standing before him in the outfit you designed for the occasion, because even when you’re Marinette Dupain-Cheng you are still Ladybug, and nothing, not even Chat Noir, can take that away from you.

You are, however, undone with fear and worry. Because Chat Noir is not saying anything. Why is Chat Noir not saying anything?

 

* * *

 

You are Chat Noir. You are Adrien Agreste. And you are so very, very in love.

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Holidays, all. I hope you enjoyed it.
> 
> Edit: please leave reviews, guys. Please.


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